Chapter 3 starts with Scout rubbing Walter Cunningham's nose in the dirt because he got her "starting of the wrong foot" on the first day of school. Witnessing the fight Jem intervenes and pulls Scout away from Walter. The reason of the fight was Walter's inability to bring lunch money, which triggered Scout to try to explain to the teacher who misunderstood Scout's intentions to being rude to Walter. Because the nature of the fight, Jem thoughtfully asks Walter if he would like to join them for dinner, which, despite Scouts angry protests, he agrees to join them. Later at the Finch's dinner table, Walter and Atticus discuss farming conditions as Scout puts it "like two men." During their dinner, Walter asks for molasses which he pours all over his dinner, which Scout points out in disgust. Due to her critical actions she is called into the kitchen by Calpurnia who scolds her of being rude to her guest and punishes her by allowing her only to eat in the kitchen without company. Later, an incident in this chapter occurs where Miss Caroline, Scout's homeroom teacher, screams in terror in the middle of the class because there were cooties or bugs crawling on the top of a student's head. The student identifies himself as Burris Ewell,a member of the notorious Ewell clan. They are considered the poorest and the laziest family in Maycomb County. Miss Caroline was taught another fact about Maycomb county's families and this one was that it was almost tradition that an Ewell only attended school on the first day and not a day more. They do this in order to avoid legal issues. When Miss Caroline asks Burris o remove himself form the class because of his bug infestation, he makes callous remarks towards Miss Caroline, causing Miss Caroline to break down in front of the class due to the impact of his words. This is mostly because Miss Caroline is not used to country ways because she is fresh from the city. Miss Caroline's lack of understanding and knowledge of the country folks leads to her clashing with Scout when Scout tries to explain to her how things work around Maycomb County. Disappointed and upset at Miss Caroline's scoldings Scout asks Atticus if she could be home schooled. However, Atticus answers her by saying it would be unwise because they would be going against the law if they did what she requested. Instead Atticus compromises with Scout saying he would read her a book every night if she did not tell the teacher of it anymore.
Setting
School House
Most of this chapter revolves around the school house and the Finch's residence. The school yard was the background when Scout was fighting with Walter and "rubbing his nose in the dirt"(Pg. 25). This was at the first day of school after the summer for Jem and also Scout's first day in first grade. The new teacher Miss Caroline and Scout does not really get along well from the start. This why Walter and Scout were fighting and also why later she tells Atticus when they are sitting in their porch, that she does not want to return to school for further education but rather be homeschooled.
Finch's Residence
Character Description
Scout Finch: Scout is pictured as a tomboy through out the book and also in his chapter. She is portrayed as a somewhat immature girl when she jumps on Walter Cunnigham to take revenge for her own actions. Also, she is a little bit thoughtless even though she tries to act grown up, because she asks Walter questions such as "did you pay a bushel of potatoes for him" when Walter is talking about how hard it is for them because of a newborn, and critises Walter for eating in a fashion that she finds finds wrong. She is punished by Capurnia for this which immidiately bring Scout to think "She likes Jem better'n she likes me..." and "I'd fix her:one of these days...drown myself in Barker's Eddy adn she'd be sorry." Although this is still th earlier chapter of the book it seems like Scout is a very curious, immamature and adventurous little girl. So far there has not been any changes in Scout's personality there until now Scout is a static character.
Jem Finch: Jem is more calm and collected then his sister however he has a sense of adventure like his sister. He does not come up in this chapter much except to stop Scout and Walter fighting and to invite Walter to dinner at the Finch's.
Walter Cunningham: Walter is the reason Scout got into trouble with miss Caroline at the first day of school. He got into a fight with Scout later on only to asked to dinner wtih the Finch's by Jem. He is humilated in the dinner table by Scout when he is critised for pouring to much syrup onto his dinner plate. He is from the Cunningham family mentioned in the beggining of the book for having payed Atticus in agricultural products instead of money for Atticus' service. Walter is a character that is different from Scout and Jem form livestyle to the standard of life that is why Scout has a problem with him.
Miss Caroline: Miss Caroline is the newbee in Maycomb county, she is Scout's new teacher. She is new to the country life and is not used to the Maycomb traditions. She does not understand their ways that is why she has a problem with understanding why Scout, Walter and Burris is talking about their families in that way.
Burris Ewell: Burris is one the infamous Ewell family they are known as the poorest family in Maycomb county. He makes Miss Caroline cry by throwing hurtful words at her when he is told to leave school to clean up in the fear of him spreading "cooties" to the other children. He tells Miss Caroline that he would not be returning becasue that's the way his family works and leaves only to be threathened by Little Chuck Little a small gentleman boy who helps Miss Caroline against Burris.Burris is one of the most unfortunate characters in this chapter becuase we learn that he has no mother that care of him and that his father does not care taht much about him.
Photo Bank
Overalls (Pg.25)
Overalls
"...fingered the straps of his overalls..."
Definition: loose, sturdy trousers, usually with a bib or biblike piece to which shoulder straps are attached, originally worn over other trousers to protect them, as by factory workers or farmers.
Butterbeans (Pg. 25)
Butterbeans
"Don't you like butterbeans?"
Definition: a variety of small-seeded lima bean, Phaseolus lunatus,grown in the southern U.S.
Pecans (Pg.26)
Pecans
"...to school and et them pecans"
Defnition: the smooth oval nut of a hickory tree, which has a sweet oily kernel.
A Bushel of Potatoes (Pg. 26)
Potatoes
"Did you pay a bushel of potatoes for him?"
Defintion: around 35.24 litres of poatatoes.
Lye Soap (Pg.29)
Lye Soap
"...go home and wash you hair with lye soap."
Definiton: Soap that is made from lard and lye.
Post Office (Pg.31)
Post Office
"...saw him round the post office corner..."
Defintion: an office or station of a government postal system at which mail is received and sorted, from which it is dispatched and distributed, and at which stamps are sold or other services rendered.
Watch Pocket (Pg. 32)
Watch Pocket
"...fingers wandered around his watch pocket..."
Defintion:a small pocket in a garment, as in a vest or trousers, for holding a pocket watch, change, etc.
Milk of Magnesia (Pg. 33)
Milk of Magnesia
"...dose of magnesia for you tonight..."
Definition: a suspension of magnesium hydroxide in water, used as an antacid and laxative
Wisteria Vine (Pg. 33)
Wisteria Vine
"...examination of the wisteria vine..."
Definiton: any climbing shrub belonging to the genus Wisteria,of the legumefamily, having showy,pendentclusters of blue-violet, white, purple, or roseflowers.
Vocabulary
1. Speculation: a conclusion or opinion reached by such contemplation
"He examined Walter with an air of speculation" (Pg.25)
2. Dispense: something that is distributed or given out
"Jem's free dispensation of ..."(Pg.25)
3. Expound: to explain; interpret.
"Atticus was expounding..." (Pg.26)
4. Tranquility:quality or state of being tranquil; calmness; peacefulness; quiet; serenity.
"When in tranquility..."(Pg.27)
5. Phenomenal:highly extraordinary or prodigious; exceptional
"...all living things was phenomenal..."(Pg.28)
6. Contemptuous: showing or expressing contempt or disdain; scornful.
"He gave a short contemptuous snort"(Pg. 30)
7. Diminutive:a small thing or person
"...among the most dimunutive of men"(Pg.30)
8. Monosyllabic: very brief; terse or blunt. usually one syllable words such as "no"
"My replies were monosyllabic and he..."(Pg.31)
9. Fractious:readily angered; peevish; irritable; quarrelsome
"...error of her fractious ways..."(Pg. 32)
10. Truant:a person who shirks or neglects his or her duty
"The traunt lady reckons..."(Pg.33)
Defintions were found in the online dictionaty Dictionary.com
To Kill a Mockingbird - Chapter 3 Study Guide
Chapter 3 Plot Summary
Chapter 3 starts with Scout rubbing Walter Cunningham's nose in the dirt because he got her "starting of the wrong foot" on the first day of school. Witnessing the fight Jem intervenes and pulls Scout away from Walter. The reason of the fight was Walter's inability to bring lunch money, which triggered Scout to try to explain to the teacher who misunderstood Scout's intentions to being rude to Walter. Because the nature of the fight, Jem thoughtfully asks Walter if he would like to join them for dinner, which, despite Scouts angry protests, he agrees to join them. Later at the Finch's dinner table, Walter and Atticus discuss farming conditions as Scout puts it "like two men." During their dinner, Walter asks for molasses which he pours all over his dinner, which Scout points out in disgust. Due to her critical actions she is called into the kitchen by Calpurnia who scolds her of being rude to her guest and punishes her by allowing her only to eat in the kitchen without company. Later, an incident in this chapter occurs where Miss Caroline, Scout's homeroom teacher, screams in terror in the middle of the class because there were cooties or bugs crawling on the top of a student's head. The student identifies himself as Burris Ewell,a member of the notorious Ewell clan. They are considered the poorest and the laziest family in Maycomb County. Miss Caroline was taught another fact about Maycomb county's families and this one was that it was almost tradition that an Ewell only attended school on the first day and not a day more. They do this in order to avoid legal issues. When Miss Caroline asks Burris o remove himself form the class because of his bug infestation, he makes callous remarks towards Miss Caroline, causing Miss Caroline to break down in front of the class due to the impact of his words. This is mostly because Miss Caroline is not used to country ways because she is fresh from the city. Miss Caroline's lack of understanding and knowledge of the country folks leads to her clashing with Scout when Scout tries to explain to her how things work around Maycomb County. Disappointed and upset at Miss Caroline's scoldings Scout asks Atticus if she could be home schooled. However, Atticus answers her by saying it would be unwise because they would be going against the law if they did what she requested. Instead Atticus compromises with Scout saying he would read her a book every night if she did not tell the teacher of it anymore.
Setting
Character Description
Scout Finch: Scout is pictured as a tomboy through out the book and also in his chapter. She is portrayed as a somewhat immature girl when she jumps on Walter Cunnigham to take revenge for her own actions. Also, she is a little bit thoughtless even though she tries to act grown up, because she asks Walter questions such as "did you pay a bushel of potatoes for him" when Walter is talking about how hard it is for them because of a newborn, and critises Walter for eating in a fashion that she finds finds wrong. She is punished by Capurnia for this which immidiately bring Scout to think "She likes Jem better'n she likes me..." and "I'd fix her:one of these days...drown myself in Barker's Eddy adn she'd be sorry." Although this is still th earlier chapter of the book it seems like Scout is a very curious, immamature and adventurous little girl. So far there has not been any changes in Scout's personality there until now Scout is a static character.
Jem Finch: Jem is more calm and collected then his sister however he has a sense of adventure like his sister. He does not come up in this chapter much except to stop Scout and Walter fighting and to invite Walter to dinner at the Finch's.
Walter Cunningham: Walter is the reason Scout got into trouble with miss Caroline at the first day of school. He got into a fight with Scout later on only to asked to dinner wtih the Finch's by Jem. He is humilated in the dinner table by Scout when he is critised for pouring to much syrup onto his dinner plate. He is from the Cunningham family mentioned in the beggining of the book for having payed Atticus in agricultural products instead of money for Atticus' service. Walter is a character that is different from Scout and Jem form livestyle to the standard of life that is why Scout has a problem with him.
Miss Caroline: Miss Caroline is the newbee in Maycomb county, she is Scout's new teacher. She is new to the country life and is not used to the Maycomb traditions. She does not understand their ways that is why she has a problem with understanding why Scout, Walter and Burris is talking about their families in that way.
Burris Ewell: Burris is one the infamous Ewell family they are known as the poorest family in Maycomb county. He makes Miss Caroline cry by throwing hurtful words at her when he is told to leave school to clean up in the fear of him spreading "cooties" to the other children. He tells Miss Caroline that he would not be returning becasue that's the way his family works and leaves only to be threathened by Little Chuck Little a small gentleman boy who helps Miss Caroline against Burris.Burris is one of the most unfortunate characters in this chapter becuase we learn that he has no mother that care of him and that his father does not care taht much about him.
Photo Bank
Overalls (Pg.25)
"...fingered the straps of his overalls..."
Definition: loose, sturdy trousers, usually with a bib or biblike piece to which shoulder straps are attached, originally worn over other trousers to protect them, as by factory workers or farmers.
Butterbeans (Pg. 25)
Definition: a variety of small-seeded lima bean, Phaseolus lunatus,grown in the southern U.S.
Pecans (Pg.26)
"...to school and et them pecans"
Defnition: the smooth oval nut of a hickory tree, which has a sweet oily kernel.
A Bushel of Potatoes (Pg. 26)
"Did you pay a bushel of potatoes for him?"
Defintion: around 35.24 litres of poatatoes.
Lye Soap (Pg.29)
Definiton: Soap that is made from lard and lye.
Post Office (Pg.31)
"...saw him round the post office corner..."
Defintion: an office or station of a government postal system at which mail is received and sorted, from which it is dispatched and distributed, and at which stamps are sold or other services rendered.
Watch Pocket (Pg. 32)
"...fingers wandered around his watch pocket..."
Defintion:a small pocket in a garment, as in a vest or trousers, for holding a pocket watch, change, etc.
Milk of Magnesia (Pg. 33)
"...dose of magnesia for you tonight..."
Definition: a suspension of magnesium hydroxide in water, used as an antacid and laxative
Wisteria Vine (Pg. 33)
"...examination of the wisteria vine..."
Definiton: any climbing shrub belonging to the genus Wisteria, of the legume family, having showy, pendent clusters of blue-violet, white, purple, or rose flowers.
Vocabulary
1. Speculation: a conclusion or opinion reached by such contemplation
"He examined Walter with an air of speculation" (Pg.25)
2. Dispense: something that is distributed or given out
"Jem's free dispensation of ..."(Pg.25)
3. Expound: to explain; interpret.
"Atticus was expounding..." (Pg.26)
4. Tranquility:quality or state of being tranquil; calmness; peacefulness; quiet; serenity.
"When in tranquility..."(Pg.27)
5. Phenomenal:highly extraordinary or prodigious; exceptional
"...all living things was phenomenal..."(Pg.28)
6. Contemptuous: showing or expressing contempt or disdain; scornful.
"He gave a short contemptuous snort"(Pg. 30)
7. Diminutive:a small thing or person
"...among the most dimunutive of men"(Pg.30)
8. Monosyllabic: very brief; terse or blunt. usually one syllable words such as "no"
"My replies were monosyllabic and he..."(Pg.31)
9. Fractious:readily angered; peevish; irritable; quarrelsome
"...error of her fractious ways..."(Pg. 32)
10. Truant:a person who shirks or neglects his or her duty
"The traunt lady reckons..."(Pg.33)
Defintions were found in the online dictionaty Dictionary.com